Reed keeping Dalton transition as normal as possible

Monday

Interim head football coach for Bulldogs not looking to change much of anything in his new role.

DALTON When the summer began, Kaleb Reed wasn't expecting much to be different from the previous summer.

Sure, Dalton's football team may have to bring along some relatively-inexperienced players to fill the myriad of open positions on the field. However, a staff which had been together for two full years already - and going into its third - should be able to handle such a retooling.

That is, until the staff itself received a very unexpected retooling of its own in late June when family reasons forced head coach Broc Dial to step down immediately. A little more than a week later, Reed was installed as the team's interim head coach, tasked with keeping the Bulldogs on the right path.

For Reed, despite the unexpected nature of the change, things have stayed a close to normal as possible.

"It hasn't been terrible," Reed said after handing out helmets to players Monday morning. "The administration has done a great job trying to help us out. ... Even Broc himself has helped us. We've texted him; we still communicate with him trying to help us transition. He's done a great job of making sure we have everything we need on our end to make sure we continue to transition as smoothly as possible for the kids."

One thing that should assist beyond anything else is the fact, despite the loss of Dial as head coach, the remainder of the staff hasn't changed. It's also a staff which was given great latitude in coaching the players during the two years under Dial.

That fact is a big reason why Reed doesn't foresee much on-the-field troubles with the transition. There may be a few bumps here or there, but he and the rest of the staff is going off the principle of keeping things the same.

"He delegated and he let us coach our positions," Reed said. "He let us hands-on with the kids as much as possible. That's another reason why it hasn't been a very difficult transition."

For Reed, there's another advantage for him in terms of going through the transition. He's been a head coach before in his career.

Not in football, mind you, but it's still head-coaching experience. He spent two seasons as the head boys basketball coach at Mapleton High School.

Reed admits there's definitely some big differences between being a head coach between the two sports. However, it's at least something in his background he can pull from to help him now.

"I got my feet wet in that situation," said Reed, who admits the paperwork and behind-the-scenes items are the two biggest challenges for him now. "Now, it's been a little bit more elevated because football's a completely different monster than what basketball is. It's more kids, which means more paperwork. I at least know the basics of it, so now I'm learning the ins and outs of how it's done here at Dalton and how it's run as far as football goes."

There's something else working for Reed, beyond his own varsity head-coaching experience and staff continuity. A year ago, he was the junior-varsity head coach for Dalton, meaning a lot of the players who are going to be moving into varsity roles this season aren't unfamiliar with him on the sidelines during a game in a head-coaching role.

The Bulldogs were a senior-laden team in 2017, with only a handful of players back with starting experience off that 12-1 team. That means a lot of opportunities for players who were on Reed's JV team.

"I think it will help," Reed said. "They will know my expectations, which my expectations - going back to consistency - aren't any different than Broc's were. ... They know my coaching style, my philosophy. They're comfortable with me because I've the juniors for two years and the sophomores I had last year. It'll help them to be more familiar with me."

Just another reason that a less-than-normal situation has felt as normal as possible for Dalton.

Reach Chris at 330-775-1128 or chris.easterling@indeonline.com.

On Twitter: @ceasterlingINDE

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